Formaldehyde-lamp.



No. 652.482. Patented lun@ 26, i906).

Hf. P. KUHN. 1

FE'MALDE-HYDE LAMP.

(Application ined July 1s, 1899.)

(No Model.)

me wams Urns go. wuoruro.. WASHINGTON. n, c.

35 plan view thereof.

time@ RICHARD P. KUHN, OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTHTO JULIAN T. MILLER, OF SAME PLACE.

FORMALDEHYDE-LAV! P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,482, dated June 26,1900.

Application fiiedruiy 18,1899. sei-a1 No. 724,271. cromati.)

To all whom t may concerns' Be it known that I, RICHARD I. KUHN,residing at Alexandria, in the county of Alexandria and State ofVirginia, have invented 5 certain new and useful Improvements inFormaldehyde-Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is inthe nature of an improved means for generatingformaldehyde Io gas, and it seeks to provide a compact and easilymanipulated portable generator or lamp especially adapted fordisinfectingsuch places where contagious diseases occur and which willserve by reason'of the poisonous gas produced and disseminated therebyto formaldehyde gas from the appliance.

In its subordinate' features my invention v consists in certain detailsof construction and peculiar combination of parts hereinafter described,and particularly set out in the apgo pended claims, reference being hadto the ac'- companying drawings, in which-A Figure l is a perspectiveView of my improved formaldehyde-lamp. Fig. 2 is a vertical section ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a top Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4of Fig. 2.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicatelike parts in all the figures, 1 indicates a base, open at the 4obottom, the surrounding edge of the bottom having perforations la forthe purpose presently explained.

4 indicates the burner orpan, which is supported in the upper portion ofthe base l,with

its bottom in a plane above the apertures la.

The object in extending the lower portion of the base below the bottomof the burner is to provide means whereby when the s aid base is setupon the door the openings la will serve 5o to admit air under theburner to prevent charring or otherwise mutilating the floor, chair,

or other body upon which it may be supported, f

The body portion 2 ofthe lamp is hinged to the base, and to provide .foran air-tight joint when the saidf body is closed down said portion isheld to bear tightly against a thick rubber gasket 3, it being thustightly held by means of a lock-catch Sil, secured`to the body 2, and aspring-detent S, which engages the said lock-catch portion of the body2,as clearly shown in Fig. 2. At a point about midway its length thebody 2 has an inwardly-projecting flange 2X, andupon this liangeisdetachably supported the heat absorbing and deflecting diaphragm 5,which consists of a non-combustible material, such Vas asbestos board,which is thoroughly saturated with a solution of chlorid of platinum. Inthe present construction the under side of the diaphragm is especiallywell platinized, so as to cause it to absorb an intense heat for thepurpose described. The diaphragm 5 in my present invention is madeconical, with its"Y apex uppermost, it being perforated as shown. Theobject of making the diaphragm conical is twofold: first, to providealieat-collecting surface of much greater area than would be obtainablewere it made fiat, and, secondly, it also serves for reflecting theheat-rays directly toward the center of theburner-pan.

The body 2, ata point just below ,theJ d iaphragm 5, has a series ofair-inlets 7, that extend half-way around the body,as best illustratedin Fig. 4, and at a point below the apertures is provided a cut-offplate 5),.whieh` is pivoted at 9b to the body 2 and held to move IOOformaldehyde gas from the generating-chamber, which can be readilygoverned by proper adjustment of the plate 9. This latter function is avery advantageous one, as it enables any one toproperly set the lamp inthe room to be disinfected without danger to himself, l

such as is incident in the ordinary application of a formaldehydedisenfectant. Again, by providing a detachable muftlerplate 9 the lampcan be set to discharge a very mild g'as---ow in the case ofextermination yof insects or a heavy or maximum flow for killing f bodymounted over the pan, said body havdisease germs.

To facilitate the carrying ofA the lamp, it g has va hinged bail 10, asbest shown in Fig. 1, which is adapted to be held to its elevated pointbelow the apertures 7; aplatinized diaposition by a latch l,

To use my improved lamp, the cylinder `or 2 body 2 is swung back, so asto admit yof easy i At'ter lighting the burner the cylinder 2 is placedover the same and the wool allowed to burn freely until the fl The faccess to the burner.

platinized diaphragm begins to glow. plate 9 is then shoved over theburner to muttle it, and after thelarne has been smothered i-t isadjusted to an open position to allow fora vpart of or all of the raysof the disk to concentrate on the saturated wool to evapora'te thealcohol and generate the formaldehyde. Y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, isc 1. A formaldehyde-lamp, comprising a pan adaptedto hold an absorbing and non-fusible material, said pan havinga pendentannular perforated extension; an oxidizing-chamber projected upward fromthe pan, said chamber having inlets; a perforated conical platinizeddiaphragm held Within the oxidizingchamber at a point above the inlets;and means operating between the inlets and the pan for choking the draftin the oxidizingchamber, for the purposes set forth.

2. A formaldehyde-lamp,com prisin g a base having a burner-pan adaptedto hold an absorbing non-fusible material; the generatoringa series ofhorizontally-disposed apertures '7, 'extending partially around the sameand having a horizontal semicircular slot'2, at a phragm held within thegenerating-chamber at a point above the `apertures 7; and ahorizontally-disposed cut-olf plate 9, pivoted to the generating-chamberand held to move through the semicircular slot 2, all being arrangedsubst-antially as shown and for the purposes described.

RICHARD P. KUHN. Witnesses:

FRED G. Diurnal-CH, LoUIs DIETERICH.

